• Eye Pain
• Eye Redness
• Blurred Vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Sensation of something in the eye
• Excessive tearing

People who exhibit these symptoms should consult with an eye care professional as Acanthamoeba Keratitis will eventually cause severe pain, possible vision loss and even blindness if left untreated.

Acanthamoeba Keratitis occurs primarily in individuals who wear contact lenses.  However, it is possible for anyone to develop this eye infection.  Patients who are generally diagnosed with Acanthamoeba Keratitis generally have exhibited certain behaviours associated with their contact lenses such as:

• Improper storage and handling
• Improper disinfection
• Swimming with lenses
• Showering with lenses
• Using a hot tub with lenses
• Coming into contact with contaminated water
• Previous history of trauma to the cornea

Once diagnosed by an eye care specialist, the infection can be treated with several eye medications that are available through prescription.  Diagnosis generally involves the existence of symptoms and a scraping of the eye or through microscopy.

People who wear contact lenses should take precaution when caring for their lenses and excerise proper hygene to reduce the risk of eye infections.  Regular eye exams are essential and given the widespread use of contact lenses, eye care professionals are aware of Acanthamoeba Keratitis.

A team of researchers from the UK will reveal an exciting new development in the detection of glaucoma to a group of MPs in the House of Commons to mark the the first World Glaucoma Day.

Detecting glaucoma during a standard sight test can be problematic. The new Moorfields Motion Displacement Test (MDT) is reaching the final stages of development. It utilises a unique software programme to investigate the visual field (peripheral vision), one of three recommended assessments used in the diagnosis of glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the most common cause of preventable blindness. It is estimated there are 67 million glaucoma sufferers in the world, but over 50% of these are undiagnosed. This rises to 90% in the developing world.

In the UK, around 500,000 people are affected and half of these are not receiving treatment because they are unaware they have the disease, symptoms of which are not present in the early stages. The aim of this new test is to help tackle the challenge of early global glaucoma detection.

Designed to be effective, affordable and accessible to all, the Moorfields MDT software, which is in the final stages of development, will be run on a standard PC or laptop. Eventually, it is hoped that it will also be made available to download from the internet, enabling clinicians from all over the world, including those in developing countries, to use it as part of their glaucoma screening systems.

The new MDT screening technology, whose research and development was supported by Pfizer Ltd, is the result of a nine year partnership between researchers from Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and a recent new collaboration with the Department of Optometry and Visual Science, City University London.

Ted Garway-Heath, Consultant Ophthalmologist, Moorfields Eye Hospital, commented, “The Moorfields MDT is a prime example of how universities and hospitals can work together to bring technological innovations to patients. Research helps us identify patients at greatest risk of glaucoma, provide better treatments for glaucoma and also monitoring for patients throughout the course of their disease.”

Source: Moorsfields Eye Hospital (http://www.moorfields.nhs.uk) 2008-03-06

Dry macular degeneration is caused by a build-up of waste products in a layer of cells below the retina known as the retinal pigment epithelium or RPE.  This part of the eye functions by supplying the retinal cells (rods and cones) with nutrients.  It also pumps out waste products.  In the early stages of dry macular degeneration, this process slows down and whitish-yellow deposits of waste products start to accumulate.  The whitish-yellow deposits in the eye are called drusen.

Small drusen are relatively normal and most people will have at least one by the time they are 50 years old. However, if large amounts of waste products build up, the pigmented layer starts to die and the removal of waste products becomes even slower. The light-sensitive rods and cones cannot survive without the maintenance provided by the RPE and, in time, the macula starts to degenerate.  This is common in early onset of dry macular degeneration.

This type of macular degeneration usually progresses slowly over several years. Both eyes can be affected, although symptoms may develop in one eye long before the other.  It is unknown why retinal cells lose the ability to process waste and why deposits of drusen occur.

At the moment, there is no known treatment for ‘dry’ macular degeneration but studies have shown that the progression of this form of the eye disease can be slowed through dietary supplements.

Wet macular degeneration often develops quickly and causes severe damage to the eyes’ central vision.  In this form of the eye disease, fluid and scar tissue from the abnormal growth of blood vessels under the retina build up , preventing the rods and cones in the macula from working properly.

Wet macular degeneration can affect both eyes but not necessarily at the same time. Once a person has developed wet macular degeneration in one eye, their chances of developing it in the other eye increases each year.  The likelihood of this happening varies, depending on the specific kind of damage that is developing in the affected eye.

There are two treatments that may help delay the decline in central vision when a person is diagnosed with macular degeneration. Both treatments involve lasers:

• laser photocoagulation seals the leaky blood vessels with a hot laser; and
• photodynamic therapy destroys the abnormal blood vessels using a cold laser to activate a drug that is injected half an hour before treatment.

The primary drug used in this macular degeneration treatment is a drug called Visudyne.

There are several other approaches still at the experimental stage, including the use of surgery to relocate the macula on to a healthy part of the retina.

There are several new drugs known as anti-VEGF drugs now being used to treat the wet form of macular degeneration.  The two primary anti-VEGF drugs for treating this eye disease are:

• Lucentis; and
• Macugen

There is also another drug, Avastin, originally designed to treat colon cancer, that has been used in many parts of the world to treat wet macular degeneration.  Use of Avastin is considered as an “off label” usage of the drug.  Lucentis is derived from avastin and has received FDA approval as one of the best known treatmentsfor wet macular degeneration.  As of May 2007, the only approved drugs in Canada to treat macular degeneration are Visudyne and Macugen. Avastin treatments are available at many private eye care clinics.

Dry macular degeneration accounts for nearly 90 percent of the diagnosed cases of this eye disease.  However, wet macular degeneration is associated with 90 percent of the blindness and progresses much more rapidly than the dry variety.  For that reason, it is essential that people who are at a high risk of being diagnosed with macular degeneration have regular eye examinations.

In the eye, the macula is a small area in the centre of the retina, which is responsible for central vision. The macula allows a person to see details directly in front of them and allows them to do daily activities such as reading, driving, watching television, or recognizing people’s faces.  Macular degeneration affects this portion of the vision.

The eye is often compared to a camera.  The front of the eye contains a lens that focuses images on the back of the eye.  This area is called the retina.  The retina is covered with special nerve cells that react to light, just like the film in a camera.

These nerve cells are very close together in the middle of the retina where the eye focuses the images that we see.  This part of the retina is called the macula.

There are two basic types of age related macular degeneration, dry AMD and wet AMD. The dry form of macular degeneration is more common, accounting for approximately 90 per cent of all cases. Generally, this version of the eye disease progresses more slowly than the wet variety.  Both types of macular degeneration damage the macula and take away central vision.

Patients who suffer from macular degeneration rarely go completely blind.  An individual diagnosed with this eye disease still have their peripheral vision.

The dry (atrophic) form of macular degeneration affects about 90 percent of those diagnosed and usually begins with the formation of tiny yellow deposits called drusen in the macula. Drusen usually do not cause serious loss of vision, but can cause distortion of vision. However, for reasons that are not yet understood, sometimes drusen will cause the macula to thin and break down, slowly leading to vision loss.

Wet (exudative) form of macular degeneration occurs in about 10 percent of those diagnosed. It is caused by the growth of abnormal blood vessels beneath the macula.  These blood vessels can leak fluid and blood.  Wet macular degeneration typically causes significant vision problems in the affected eye and can progress very rapidly, causing permanent central vision loss.  “Blindness” can occur as rapidly as a few weeks to a few years with this variation of the eye disease.

The exact cause of age-related macular degeneration is not known.  Some researchers feel that this eye disease may be hereditary, signalling an increased risk of being diagnosed with macular degeneration if someone in your family has or has had the eye disease.  Other research has indicated that being a smoker and consuming too much red meat can contribute to increased risk of macular degeneration.